Over 50 Fitness for Women: Why it Should be Fun!

I have always enjoyed working out. When I was in my 20s, I was obsessed with aerobic exercise and attended classes practically every day. The thrill of competing with other women in the class spurred me to keep going. I also learned how to do somersaults and 10 different headstands in my acting class. Now that I’m older, I still enjoy a good workout, but I believe over 50 fitness should be less tortuous and something you look forward to.

In a previous post, I mentioned that it takes longer for older bodies to recover from strenuous exercise and it’s more effective to take it easy. Most of us over 50 experience some sort of ache or pain and simply getting up off the floor can be a challenge.  On the other hand, sitting on a couch all day ages us faster than anything. It’s important to keep our bodies in motion, but it doesn’t have to be excruciating.

Fitness trainers may have our interests at heart but if you find yourself chomping at the bit for the session to be over, why put yourself through it in the first place?

The most tortuous ways to exercise over 50, in my opinion

I could do light dance exercises all day long but I dread doing leg lunges while holding a set of dumbbells. The same goes for planks. It’s not that I can’t do them, and I know they’re good for my body, but I’d rather be eating glass. I don’t mind squats because it’s a functional exercise. No one wants to get stuck not being able to get off a toilet seat as Jane Fonda did in Grace and Frankie.

Running is also a thing of the past for me.  I ran a little through my 40s but now I dread tripping on something and landing on my face. I’d rather take a leisurely walk in a nature area because it is pleasurable and meditative.

Yoga is relaxing but I wish I had started doing it earlier. Even when I was young I couldn’t grab my hands behind my back or sit comfortably in a lotus. My body wasn’t designed to be a pretzel and I’m jealous of those who can easily do sun salutations even at 100 years old.

Fitness routines that make sense to me now that I’m older

We all know that strength training is essential to maintain our bone density. However, there are other ways to do it besides using weights. Resistance bands build longer and leaner muscles and are just as effective as weights. They may make more sense for older women.  

Balance exercises are extra important, and I can’t stress them enough. The last thing anyone over 50 wants to do is fall. One false step can send us tipping over with disastrous results.

Walking has multiple benefits from improving your cardiovascular health to reducing stress. Humans were born to walk and the more we do, the longer we can continue doing it.

Swimming is also easier on older bones. If I didn’t have dyed hair and had access to a saline-filled pool, I would be in it all the time. Unfortunately, I’ve become sensitive to the smell of chlorine and too much of it makes me want to gag.  I don’t even use bleach anymore to wash my clothes.

Over 50 fitness is a personal choice

When I was sitting at a party with actor Norman Lloyd who was then over 100 years old. (He died at 106) he told me he played tennis until he was 99 when his son made him quit. Many men and women still play racquetball, tennis, and even ski after retirement. If a certain physical activity brings you great joy, keep doing it. If you’re only doing it to reach a fitness goal but you hate it or it’s painful, find something else that is fun like line dancing or Tai Chi.

The most important thing about fitness over 50 is that you keep your body in motion. How you do it is up to you. Just don’t force yourself into a regime that you dread because all it will do is cause you stress.